Thursday 31 December 2015

Happy New Year

A very happy New Year 
to all my followers.

I'm not sure when I'll next escape,
as I've picked up a 
bug of some sort
and She Who Must Be Obeyed
is going in for a hip operation.

So till my next escape chit
Happy Angling New Year
to you all.

Sunday 27 December 2015

Seasons Greetings

Well its been a busy
festive time 
and I forgot all about
my blog.
I did not get out
fishing as to busy
and chased some visiting aircraft
at Bristol Airport.

I hope you all had a brilliant
Christmas
and hope the
New Year
is a good one.

Friday 18 December 2015

Rockingham 16-12-15

As can be seen
the gusty breeze was
bowing the hanging rigs.
The second Severn Crossing
can be seen in the far ground.
Drizzle was a constant companion.
Rag and Squid were used on
1/0 Wishbone and Pennel Pulley rigs.
I fished 8am till 11am
with high water at 10am.
From the start small Codling
were on the Wishbone rig.
In all 6 small Codling preferred Rag.
and one decide on Squid on 4/0 hooks.
All in all another good fishing trip,
shame there were not any larger
fish out to play.

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Where has all the sand gone?

Back down to the ledges at Ladye Bay
at 08.00.
Low water was at 12.00.
A cool start with a gusty
wind but the sea was calm.
With yellow tailed lug and squid
I was joined by a couple of great
fishermen for a 5 hour session.
Well I failed to catch
while only a couple of tiny Codling
and Whiting were caught.
The big surprise was the total lack 
of sand and mud
around the start of the ledges.
As can be seen from the following 
pictures a lot of sand and mud has disappeared. 



Although the fishing was poor,
the company was grand.

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Dry, wet and windy.18-11-15

Another free morning saw me
setting up on the ledges at
Ladye Bay.
It was quite warm with a south westerly breeze.
At first it was clear but later 
the cloud thickened and then the rain
came down with the very gusty wind was back.
The usual rigs and baits were used
with the first cast at 07.20.
High water was at 11.00 and 11.4 mtrs.
There was a lot of Bladderwort
weed floating past so I knew 
there would be problems,
however it was only an annoyance.
The first fish was a 3 inch Whiting
taking Lug and Squid cocktail
on a 4/0 hook.
 This poor Kittiwake had taken
a battering at some time.
Its left leg was broken in two places
and the right on had a gash on it.
It could still fly but stayed about 10 feet from me
most of the session.
However by the time I left
it was well fed.

This is the first Kittiwake 
 I've seen this far up the channel.
Just about at the top of the tide
I pulled in this Doggie (Cat Shark)
to Squid wrapped in Lug and Rag.
The wind by now was gusting happily
and the rain started making the
rock quite slippery.
By 12.00 the weed was back and the 
rocks were very slippery.
So I decided to pack up.
I only managed one more tiny
Whiting which was foul hooked.
So ended another enjoyable fishing trip.

Sunday 15 November 2015

Wow that was windy. 15-11-15

With some worm baits left over and 
some Squid I once again drove down
to Rockingham.
Getting there at 06.30
I realized that I was in for a 
windy session.
Getting down to the grass bank
I knew I was in for rough time.
Setting up the usual rigs I was surprised to see that the 
tide was coming in quicker than normal.
This made me move everything 
back from the drop off by 20 - 30 feet.
 The weed was bad from the start 
combined with the wind and the 
waves there was no chance of
seeing any bites.
None of the bait was touched,
so with the waves cresting the top of the bank
 and the weed blocking the top eye
before the shock leader knot was out of the water
I called time.
That is the first time I had to take my glasses off
while fishing
and they were the worst
condition I have ever fished.
I was packed up by by 08.20
High water was at 09.00.
As can be seen in the video
the surge was well over the bank with 
40 minutes to the top of the tide.
I did enjoy it, except for that mass
of weed. The only way to get the weed off was cutting the line
but as my glasses were covered on spray  very quickly,
tying shock leaded knots was a real pain. 

Saturday 14 November 2015

The edge of ex Hurricane Kate. 14-11-15

The local forecaster last night said 
it would be the rain and not the wind
that would be the problem
and he was right.
I went down to Rockingham
with my son, arriving at
06.20.
It was raining but the wind was lighter
than I thought it would be.
It was also quite warm.
Two rods were loaded with
lug, rag and squid.
3/0 - 4/0 pennel pullies
and wishbone rigs were used. 
First cast produced a small
Codling on the wishbone rig,
followed by an other a couple
of casts later.
The Bladder Seaweed now
became a problem, with large clumps of it
floating by and snagging our lines.
With one of these pulling my rig
along the bottom, I had no choice
but to wind it in.
While pulling the weed and other
rubbish (including plastic),
from the shock leader knot,
I felt the line pulling out.
This was a Codling of 
between 1 1/2 and 2ld.
This one had taken squid.
As can be seen from this photo
it was quite muddy
 The fish now seemed to have stopped feeding
as it was a while before once again
I pulled in an other Codling (slightly smaller this time)
again hidden by weed which also hid the bite.
That was all before high tide, 08.26 and 12.6mtrs.
There were no more signs of life and by
09.00 we were proper drowned rats.
So with more weed and now logs floating down tide
we decide to call it a day.

Friday 13 November 2015

Out sea fishing. 11-11-13

Deciding I wanted some thing different
I headed down for a low tide session at 
Ladye Bay Clevdon.
Low water was just after 1.15pm,
I arrived there at 09.30.
This strange vessel was passing by,
it carries Wings and other aircraft
parts for Airbus industries.
 Well I set up using two rods,
on using a Wishbone rig
the other a 1/0 - 4/0 pulley rig.
Straight off a small Codling
took Lug on the Wishbone.
For the next hour I was plagued
by tiny fish.
6 Small Codling, 2 small Pouting, 1 tiny Whiting
and the smallest Conger I've ever caught.
So I now used 4/0 - 4/0 pennel pulley rigs.
 With the hooks being stripped of worm baits
by these small fish, I used small Squid
This however stopped the bites completely,
the worm carried on being stripped off
but the Squid was not touched. 
 The tide was a 12.8mtr,
which showed a lot of sand.
It was a nice to have a change
of fishing style
BUT
not of the same result.
Had a nice chat with my eldest son
who popped down to give me some support.
That climb down and then back up again
has played havoc with my knees.
Should be out tomorrow morning
at Rockingham.

Just the one! and a blank.

Well at last a couple of minutes to catch up on
catches or not as the case maybe.
 Up to the Avon on 13-10-15
arriving at 13.00. Usual baits in hand
with six swims baited up on the walk down stream.
Well the normal tactics with both feeder rod and
float rod produced some signs of life in the first swim,
with this 3ld 15oz Chub taking maggot
to the float.
But that was it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not another bite or sign of a bite from the six swims
not even bob of the float.

On the 20-10-15
I decided to try at Upper Christian Malford
I fished here before and had some good
catches.
However once again
I failed to catch anything
not even a bite.

Great shame as it is a very nice venue.
Well that was it I with having to spend
time at home again.
So no fishing for a few weeks.

Wednesday 30 September 2015

Chub at last 29-09-15

This time I arrived at the Avon at 1pm,
and walked to the furthest swim. Feeding others I intended
to fish as I passed them.

Again, I could not catch on boillie
or pellet.
However I did feed maggots into
most of these swims.

By 4.30 I was in the
float swim as I call it.
From the first put in I started
catching small
Roach. Dace, Chub and this time
Perch.
 Early on I lost another bigger fish,
This was the fifth larger fish I
have lost to hook pulls, bent out hooks
and fish swimming into a snag.
So I beefed up the hook length
but this slowed the fishing.
So swapping back to
the lighter hook length I
was catching again.
I think the water was so clear that
 fish could see the line.
Well about 5.30 I had the smallest of bites
 and striking into it I found a better fish.
A short but brisk play and this 3lb 7oz
Chub was on the bank.
Lean but in good condition 
it was most welcome.
 I continued to catch the small
fish and really enjoyed being back to
the way I enjoy the most.
Whilst using the float rod I 
was also using a Maggot feeder rod.
This was not very good but I did catch a few
small mixed grill fish.
 One was hit by a Pike which was a really
good fight. In the end it won its prize
and bit through the hook length.
At 7.15ish I had another really gentle
bite this time I struck slowly
and felt the weight.
On 5lb main line and 3lb 2oz
hook length to a size 16 hook.
This 3lb 15 1/2oz Chub
was banked.
Well that was it another really enjoyable day on the Avon.

Back to Avon. 20-09-15

06.00, the mist is rising off the river into a low fog.
Not as thick as last time or as chilly.

I fished a number of new swims,
learning the depth, snags, type of bottom state
of the bank and where the weed were.
There were some very interesting swims,
as well as one real bad one.
So plenty of info and no fish.

I did take a float rod and maggots
an spent two hours
catching Roach, Dace and small Chub
up to about 1/2lb.

Packed up at 12.30.

Monday 21 September 2015

Wet net. 20-09-15

Well I went back to the Avon
but this time with Maggot 
and Casters.
Also the float was in the rod
quiver and desperate for an outing.
Right from the first cast
it was roach, dace or 
small chub.
 Most were between 
3oz and 6oz.
All were fin perfect,
and really god to see.
Hopefully  a good sign for the future. 
 The best was this Roach
of around 1/2lb.
I did loose 2 good fish which
were to strong for for my light
tackle. Straightening the size 16 hooks.
 I fished from around 06.30 till
11.30.
After a foggy start it ended up sunny
and warm.
I tried a couple of other
swims,
but nothing but Minnows.
Pellet on the quiver failed to even get a bite.
So I will get my centre pin reel and beef up the tackle
So role on the next trip.

Tuesday 15 September 2015

A damp morning down Crooks Marsh. 14-09-15

As there was some spare 
Lug worm left over from one of my sons
weekend fishing trip,
I added some Frozen Squid 
to the menu.
I fished from 6.30 till 10.00.
Pennel Pulley rigs were the order of the day.
Sea Bank Power station
was causing its own drizzle
from the cooling fans,
but later the rain added to
the damp feel.
The little wind that there was
was very light from the east, southeast.
Well the out come was very
slow, with only a of bites over
the top of the tide (0849 - 12.9 mtrs).
So by 10.00 I had run out of bait
and the rain was getting heavy
so a quick walk back to the car
and start drying out. 

Wednesday 9 September 2015

First trip to a new venue. 08-09-15

Well at last
I was feeling a lot better and
things at home had settled down.
So I arrived there at just before
06.30
in a lovely thick fog.
I'm up stream from Limply Stoke,
and looking forward to 
the new challenge
of a new area.
 I chose swims with good 
overhangs on both banks.
First problem was my poor casting,
so I had to really concentrate
on getting it right and accurate.
Second was the weed, its pretty
thick and trying to get the bait
down was a real hassle.
Especially as I was using
very light weights. Even trying free lining
between weed beds.
 In most of the swims I saw Chub 
just  sat at the surface, not even feeding.
I tried some surface feeding
and the result was the Chub
just either moved aside or
let the bait go straight over their heads.
 One swim was quite clear of weed mid stream
so I cast over to the far bank, next to the weed,
and one under a near side overhanging tree.
Well that's the spot where
I did manage a few knocks,
and a good take.
The fish went straight under the
the over hang, resulting in
me losing it with a hook pull.
Well that was it, no more interest.
So with only about 20 minutes to
my planed finish time,
I tried a hole in a bank of trees.
I had seen Chub swimming there so
was hopeful I would at least have some interest.
But no, nothing was interested in getting there
heads down.
As can be seen the river was very low, slow and clear.
I packed up at midday. Having tried
5 swims.
I think as I find some deeper swims and 
learn the river better it should be a great venue.

Thursday 3 September 2015

Still not well!

With the headaches still
being a pain in the head.
I am not going out this week.

Saturday 29 August 2015

Stir Crazy.

Well! sitting around the house
I am going Stir Crazy.
So as my son as already had Chickenpox,
we went out for a walk along
a new stretch of river.

 There are many good looking swims
how ever a long landing net handle
will be needed.
 Luckily I already have one.
As the medication is already
taking affect,
I hope to be out next week some time. 
In one swim we saw 5 Chub
around 3lbs.
There are some swims where
I will have to try a new
style of fishing.

Wednesday 26 August 2015

Now I know what I've got!!!

A short visit to the Doctors
shows I've got Shingles,
and been told I shouldn't
go out for long periods of time
and drive because
of one of the tablets I'm on.

Monday 24 August 2015

This is getting me down!

Well its my turn to not feel
very well.
Aching from head to tail 
and constant headaches.
Not sure when I'll escape to
the bank next. 

Friday 14 August 2015

Oh dear not out again.

Once again family health
and training for the
Bristol Half Marathon
have cut my free time,
so I can't escape.
Hopefully out next week.
Fingers crossed.

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Slow, low and clear. 20-07-15

12.30 and the car is loaded
and I'm fighting some of Bristol's
traffic jams.
Soon enough I clear the traffic
and moving towards
Limply Stoke.
I walked about 1/2 mile of the bank
and found it clear, low and slow.
Decided to pick a swim with
a longish cast.
This seemed to be the best idea as
the fish would hopefully not see me setting up.

Well I guess they were very weary.
Not a touch, even the float fished maggot
failed to entice anything except Minnows.
These Swans and Cygnets spent a good
hour preening themselves.
 Having started fishing at 2pm
it was a surprised when this 3lb 9oz Chub
took a lightly ledgered boillie at 4.20pm.
 A short while later the swans
decided to swim right over my baits. No
problem but when a canoe came by,
I thought it was time for a move
 So I settled in to a swim at the far end of the venue.
Here I fed around a pint of maggot and
three handfuls of pellets under the near side over hanging tree.
On the far side I fired out a few cut up boilies
and pellets to a patch of cabbages and streamer weed.
 A Wren was  in the bush on the far bank
calling for a mate, hoping for a late bit
of slap and tickle.
Well after putting in the last of the
maggots I thought I was in for a blank from this spot.
Having moved at 5pm
it was a surprise, at 9.24pm the rod pulled
round producing this 4lb 1 1/2oz Chub
over the Maggots to a small pellet.
That was it for the day. So packing up at
10pm I was pleased with the result,
with some light drizzle  and gusty
wind it was good to see the pollen was not
a problem.
I'm now planing to head to another
River Avon venue.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

River Frome, short session. 14-07-15

At last the pollen is dropping out so
with a few hours free I popped down to the Frome.
I must have picked a popular day down there,
as I was asked if there was a match
taking place.
Well with eleven other anglers wondering around
I guess it could have looked like there was.
First swim was a blank,
So I wondered further up stream. 
Here I found Dace were interested in my Maggots.

This one was about average size, with the usual Minnows
joining in, I had a very happy hour.
Around 2 1/2lb of fish were caught.
More swims tried but with very little interest
 being shown to the Maggots. 
 The odd small Dace and Roach
but not much else.
One surprise was this 
"TWO HOOTS"
Shawn the Sheep.
I think some swim baiting needs to
be carried out to get some more
fish biting.
I fished from 11.00 till 14.00.
Float fishing with 3lb main line 
to 2lb hook length to size 16 hook.

Saturday 4 July 2015

Not out again!

Pollen has caused me to have the worst 
Hay Fever ever.
So I have not been out,
hope to escape to the 
river bank soon.

Even bought some maggots
and casters last week.
So I guess the birds have had 
a good feed.

Thursday 25 June 2015

Another trip to Limply Stoke, 23-06-15

Another day with time out,
so back to Limply.
Today I arrived early and set up and fed my usual swim.
 Then I walked along the bank checking out possible new swims,
ones that looked like they may
be worth a cast or two were fed
with hemp and corn plus my pellet mix.
Then it was back to my chosen swim,
I used my normal mix of pellet and doilies,
as well as sweet corn and worm.
Well the Chub were sun bathing and not interested
in any of my offerings.
Then the first of five canoes
cam by. Straight over where my baits were. 
 So leaving one ledger rod out
I set up the float rod 
with instant success.
These little Chub were really
hungry for chopped worm,
as were some small Trout.
 Can you spot the two
hot air balloons?
These drifted sedately over
from west to east.   
Well the fishing was poor the river
was low, slow and very clear. 
The Chub I saw were on the surface
and not interested in feeding.

Wednesday 17 June 2015

16-06-15 Open day on the rivers.

Yahoo!
Car loaded and on the road by 1.00pm.
At Limply Stoke, at 2.00pm, I had my second choice of swim
below the weir.
Low clear and slow 
was the order of the day,
with bright sunshine and light down stream breeze.
 Well that was a poor choice as it turned out
lovely setting but a hook killer.
I used up 10 hooks in total, out of
around 20 casts.
The river bottom must have had
a lot of rocks and stones
which blunted the hooks.
So at 4.45pm I decided to move around a mile down stream.
Here there was a continuous hatch of various 
midges and other aquatic winged bugs.
So settling in for the evening, I cast one rod to the far bank 
and the other down the near side bank. 
 So with no signs of fishy movements
I was surprised when the near bank rod pulled round slowly.
This produced a 3lb perfect Chub, quite
plump compared to the the early season
Chub last year. 
 At around 10 to 8 the far bank rod
bent round and the bait runner reel
peeled off a load of line.
This 4lb 1oz Chub had signs that it had already
been caught or spawning damage.
 Whilst I was sorting the Chub
my other rod started nodding.
This produced this little Brown Trout
on pellet and worm cocktail.
 Then around 10 to nine
this 2lb 15oz Chub took a liking to
a boillie on the far bank.
That was the end of the fishy business for the evening.
However the wild life was great.
With a Mink grabbing a duckling
and the Mum pecked it a couple of times,
the Mink dropped the duckling
and ran off.
Mum swam off with her three little ducklings safe for now.
A Wren flew across the river with 3 little ones following,
they are tiny. 
Plus the usual Kingfishers, Buzzards and many other birds 
it was a great start to the 2015 / 2016 river season.